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International University – Vietnam National University HCMC

Welcome to International University, Vietnam National University HCMC!

Founded in 2003, International University is the first public university in Vietnam to use English as the

primary language of instruction and research. It is now celebrating its 12nd year in the field.

Currently, International University takes its pride in holding a strong faculty including lecturers who have

had years of training abroad and are excellent in teaching and doing research together with professional

devoted staff who have given all their hearts to the students.

Come and experience through admitting to our university and you will find yourselves in a friendly and cozy

environment, which best suits preparing yourself for the future.

I strongly believe that you will gain memorable experiences not only at International University but also at

our prestigious partner universities in the world.

Rector

Associate Professor, Dr. Hồ Thanh Phong

Fast Facts

Established: 2003

The first public English-speaking university in Vietnam

Schools & Departments: 10

Total number of students enrolled: 6,000+

Study levels: Undergraduate and Graduate degrees

Fields of Study: 15 Undergraduate and 10 Graduate programs

Number of Faculty: 172 in total, with 71 holding PhD degrees, 14 Associate

Professors, and 04 Professors.

20% are foreign lecturers, 80% are local lecturers graduated from prestigious

universities all over the world.

Number of Staff: 168

Campus location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

ASEAN University Network Quality Assurance Accreditation: BA Business

Administration, BSc. Biotechnology, BSc. Computer Science and BEng. Electrical

Engineering, BEng. Industrial System Engineering, BEng. Biomedical Engineering.

A member of AACSB

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INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SERVICE CENTER (ISSC)

ISSC is established with the aim to assist international students and scholars with the process of applying to

IU, advising on immigration regulations, consulting on academic and daily challenges. We also assist the

campus community involved with international educational exchange in the process of receiving

international students studying at IU campus, or in sending IU‘s students study abroad. We cooperate with

other Schools, Departments and other divisions at IU to create and maintain an inclusive, global campus.

ISSC offered the following programs as below:

1. IU’s Student Exchange and Study Abroad Programs

Student Exchange Programs

Incoming Exchange Student: ISSC offers international students an opportunity to explore their academic interests and cross-cultural understanding by studying for one or two semesters at IU to earn credit toward their home university degrees. Students enrolled in these programs will not be awarded a degree from IU; but they can transfer credits to their home university upon completion of their studies in Vietnam.

Outgoing Exchange Student: ISSC offers IU students an opportunity to explore their academic interests and increase cross-cultural understanding by studying for one or two semesters abroad at IU’s partner institutions around the globe to earn credit toward IU degrees. Students enrolled in these programs will not be awarded the degree from the partner university however but they can transfer credits to IU upon completion of their studies overseas. The courses successfully completed at the partner university are credited toward their IU degree.

Study Abroad Programs

Incoming Study Abroad program is a regular, full tuition program. If students ‘home university is not an IU partner, or students are not selected for the exchange program, they can still spend one or two semesters at IU through the Study Abroad program.

Outgoing Study Abroad: If the host university is not an IU exchange partner, or you are not selected for the exchange program, you can still spend one or two semesters overseas at the host university through the Study Abroad program. IU Students going on this program pay tuition fee to their host university.

2. Services for incoming international students and scholars

Our main goal here is to assist the international students and scholars at our university with the

challenges that they might face and make sure that they have the pleasant stay as well as wonderful

experiences during their time with IU. Our services are:

Immigration & Visa Medical insurance Accommodation Orientation Academic support and consulting IU policies and procedures Daily challenges (personal and social matters) Cultural adjustment Alumni Network for International Students Other concerns that the students might have

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As the new-comers, all international students and scholars will receive the ISSC‘s Handbook which

provides a wide variety of important information that can be use as the references entirely of their stay at

IU.

The ISSC is committed to providing international students and scholars with high-quality services that

will help you settle down your new life in Vietnam and become one of successful participants in IU

community.

CONTACT US

International Students Service Center (ISSC) - Room A2. 604

Office of External and Public Relations

International University, Viet Nam National University – Ho Chi Minh City

Quanter 6, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

Phone: (+84 8) 3724 4270 Ext: 3617

Email: issc@hcmiu.edu.vn

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IU FACT SHEET – ACADEMIC YEAR 2016-2017

Contact Information

Name of university

International University - VNUHCM(IU)

Name of student exchange office

International Students Service Center Office of External and Public Relations

Postal address International Students Service Center (ISSC)

Office of External and Public Relations (Room A2.604)

International University

Quarter 6, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Email, Phone and Fax

Phone : +84-8 37244270 – Ext: 3617 Fax : +84-8 37244271 Email :issc@hcmiu.edu.vn

Website URL’s University website: http://www.hcmiu.edu.vn/language/en-US/Trang-Chu

Student Exchange and Study Abroad Programs: http://www.hcmiu.edu.vn/language/en-US/Sinh-vien-Students/Sinh-vien-quoc-te-International-Students/Du-hoc-voi-DHQT-Study-oversea-with-IU/-Chuong-trinh-trao-doi-va-du-hoc-Student-exhange-study-abroad

Office of External and Public Relations

Dr. Bui Thi Hong Hanh

Head, Office of External and Public Relations (OEPR)

Email : bthhanh@hcmiu.edu.vn

Tel : +84-8 37244270 – Ext: 3412 International Student Service Center (ISSC)

Ms. Dinh Kim Phung

Head, International Student Service Center (ISSC)

(including (1) Student Exchange & Study Abroad Programs and (2) Service for International Student)

Email : dkphung@hcmiu.edu.vn

Tel : +84-8 37244270 – Ext: 3617 Incoming Exchange Coordinator

Ms. Vo Thi Nhu Quynh

Email : vtnquynh@hcmiu.edu.vn

Tel : +84-8 37244270 – Ext: 3617

Outgoing Exchange Coordinator

Mr. Nguyen Tung Bach

Email : pttly@hcmiu.edu.vn

Tel : +84-8 37244270 – Ext: 3617

SCHOOLS DEPARTMENTS

1. School of Biotechnology 1. Department of Biomedical Engineering 2. School of Business 2. Department of Civil Engineering

3. School of Computer Science and Engineering

3. Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

4. School of Electrical Engineering 4. Department of English

5. Department of Mathematics 6. Department of Physics

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Programs Offered at IU

BACHELOR LEVEL MASTER LEVEL Business 1. Business Administration 1. Business Administration 2. Finance & Banking 2. Science in Leadership (North Eastern

University) Engineering 3. Automation & Control Systems 4. BioMedical Engineering 3.BioMedical Engineering 5. Electronics & Telecommunications 4.Electrical Engineering 6. Financial Engineering & Risk

Management

7. Information Technology 5.Information Technology Management 8. Industrial & Systems Engineering 6.Industrial & Systems Engineering 9. Logistics and Supply Chain

Management

10. Civil Engineering 11. Space Engineering Science 12. Biotechnology 7.Biotechnology 13. Aquatic Resource Management 8.Applied Mathematics 14. Food Technology 15. Biochemistry (Pharmacy oriented)

DOCTORAL LEVEL

1. Business Administration 2. Biotechnology

Application Information

Application deadlines

01 May for Semester 1 (September – January) Fall Semester 01 September for Semester 2 (January – June) Spring Semester

Eligibility Entry Requirements

To be considered for the Student Exchange and Study Abroad Programs, undergraduate and

graduate applicants must:

– Complete at least one year of full-time study – Achieve GPA at least of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale in the USA or equivalent – Accept to be a full-time exchange student at IU (no less than 12 credits per semester) – Have a letter of nomination from the home institution (or letter of approval for

participating in Study Abroad Program at IU)

Required application documents

Step1: Nomination To be an exchange student, student must be nominated by the

home institution.

Step 2: Complete

the

application

package

Fill in and attach all required documents:

– An application form (for exchange program) – A letter of nomination from your home university (or letter

of approval for participating in Study Abroad Program at International University)

– An official transcript

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– An evidence of English Proficiency – A copy of passport All documents should be certified and translated into English.

Step 3: Submission Submit the applications to the Student Exchange office at the

home institution.

Step 4: Application

outcome

Once student’s home institution confirms that student is

selected for the program, he/she will receive an official

notification package from IU, including:

– An acceptance letter – General information before your arrival includes Visa,

Accommodation, Health insurance, Orientation Days, Academic schedule

– Registrar forms for visa, accommodation, buddy program, airport pick up service, courses

At the same time, IU incoming coordinator will assist student

for the next steps.

Application procedure

Partner universities might nominate their exchange student at least one month prior to the application deadline. The nomination should contain the following information on nominees: full name as it appears on passport (last name, first name), gender, undergraduate or graduate student, field of study, email address, semester students wish to study at IU. Scanned coppied of the nomination and application forms are initially accepted by email issc@hcmiu.edu.vn or IU incoming coordinator. However the hard copies should follow to the postal address above. Once a student is accepted to IU they will received the Letter of Acceptance and the supporting documents of courses registration, accommodation options and airport pick up service by email. The original Letter of Acceptance will be sent to student home university.

English requirements

No English proficiency assessment is required for students who live in an English-speaking

country or study in a tertiary institution where the language of instruction is English.

If you are not from an English-speaking country or if the language of instruction at your

institution is not English, one of the following requirements is applied:

– IELTS minimum overall band score of 6.0 (no sub-score bellow 5.5); – TOEFL (PBT) minimum score of 550; – TOEFL (CBT) minimum score of 213; – TOEFL (iBT) minimum score of 57 (no sub-score bellow 19); – Unicert 1 (Cetified by German Academic Exchange Service – DAAD); – CEFR Level B1 (Common European Framework of Reference’s English Certificate); – ISEP’s Language Proficiency Report (accepted for students from ISEP-Exchange

programs); Please note that IELTS &TOEFL test results are valid for 2 years

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Services

Visa Process 1. Procedure to obtain Student Visa

Step 1: Once you are accepted to study at IU, you will receive the Letter of Acceptance. At the

same time, IU will send an email requesting you to fill in the Visa Information Form

concerning the location of receiving visa (Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam Consulate General)

near your place.

Step 2: IU then submits these necessary documents to Vietnam Immigration Department in

Ho Chi Minh City (VID-HCMC).

Step 3: Once your submitted documents are approved, VID-HCMC will fax a copy of visa pre-

approval to Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam Consulate General in your home country. At the

same time, you will receive the copy of visa pre-approval from IU via email. This process

takes at least 7 working days.

Step 4: Once receiving the pre-approval confirmation from IU, you are responsible for

printing the visa pre-approval and submitting it at Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam Consulate

General in your home country in order to get the visa. The required documents include:

– Passport with validity of at least 6 months – Pre-approval confirmation (Printed on an A4-size-paper) – Letter of Acceptance from IU – Visa application forms (in accordance with the officials’ guidance at Vietnam

Embassy/Vietnam Consulate General) – Visa application fees (submit at Vietnam Embassy/ Vietnam Consulate General)

Step 5: You will be notified by the Vietnam Embassy/Vietnam Consulate General about the

date and time to receive the visa, type DH – multiple entries.

- For Exchange Students from Partner University: the length of visa will be 6 months and

multiple-entry,

- For Direct Exchange Student: the length of visa will be 3 months and multiple-entry first.

Then, once the visa expired and student completes tuition fee payment at IU, student’s

visa will be extended another 3 months and multiple- entry.

2. Visa On Arrival

(receive at Vietnam’s International Airport – Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai, Da Nang)

This is an alternative way to obtain visa for Vietnam and the visa on arrival will be issued

and picked up at your airport of arrival.

Visa on arrival will be issued in the following cases:

– There are not any representative diplomatic offices such as Vietnam Embassy or

Vietnam Consulate General in your home country

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Procedure to obtain visa upon arrival:

Step 1: Once you are accepted to study at IU, you will receive the Letter of Acceptance. At the

same time, IU will send an email requesting you to fill in the Visa information form

concerning the location of receiving your visa when you arrive in Vietnam, pick one of the

following international airport: Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai or Da Nang Airport.

Step 2: IU then submits these necessary documents to Vietnam Immigration Department in

Ho Chi Minh City (VID-HCMC).

Step 3: Once your submitted documents are approved, VID-HCMC will fax a copy of visa pre-

approval allowing you to receive their visa at one of the international airports in Vietnam. At

the same time, you will receive the copy of visa pre-approval from IU via email. This process

may take about 7 working days.

Step 4: Once receiving the pre-approval confirmation from IU, you are responsible for

printing the visa pre-approval and carry it with you to Vietnam in order to collect your visa

at the airport. The required documents include:

– Passport with validity of at least 6 months – Pre-approval confirmation (Printed on an A4-size-paper) – Letter of Acceptance from IU – Visa application forms (in accordance with the officials’ guidance at the airport) – Visa application fees (pay at the airport)

Step 5: You will receive their visa from the Immigrant Department officers at the airport.

Note: If you enter Vietnam via different types of visa such as: working, travelling purpose…, you have to exit our country and re-enter in order to apply new visa for studying.

Accommodation Students are responsible for arranging their own accommodation.

In order to support incoming international students on finding accommodation, IU will provide you a list of housing options, which will be sent to you via email prior to your departure. It is your responsibility to make decision the validity of your lease. As soon as you receive the Letter of Acceptance from IU, you must fulfill the Registration Form – Accommodation Section and email it back to us, so we can then help to find the best place for you to live in. Late application is not accepted.

We will provide you a list of accommodation options as below. Please select one and let us know your choice in registration form.

1. Off-Campus Housing Options (Recommended for International Students) (*)

Off-campus accommodations are owned and managed by independent landlords. These types of housing are available in the center of Ho Chi Minh City downtown that is easy to commute to and from IU campus by bus and explore the night activities of vibrant HCMC. Off-Campus Housing also is safer to go out at night.

Off-Campus Housing’s Advantages ˗ Rooms are furnished

˗ Students will have their own living environment with more privacy, personal space and

less noisy than in the dorm

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˗ It is easier to have visitors over

˗ All the stores and restaurants are available until mid-night

˗ Available and easy to access medical support, health care, esp. emergency cases

˗ You can easier to explore the night life in the most populated and lively city in Vietnam

Off-Campus Housing’s Disadvantages ˗ Off-campus housing might not be closed to IU campus or IU city campus. In order to get to

and from each campus, students will need to use the public transportation, such as buses.

The buses run 7 days a week and some will have a late-night routes by 9:00 PM. Students

with an ID’s student cards can take buses with the rate of 2.000 VND per route

˗ Students are responsible for signing their own rental contract.

˗ Almost serviced apartments’ contracts run for at least 6 months and it will be difficult for

student to get out of the lease before the expired dates without a penalty. Therefore we

highly recommend students to pay attention on dealing the duration of the rental before

signing the contract

˗ Typically, students will need to pay at least 1 month deposit upon signing the lease and all

the rental payment will be paid directly to the landlords

˗ Utilities are not included in housing charge, so that you have to pay additional fees for

electricity or water in some cases.

˗ Cooking are not allowed in the room

˗ Some off-campus housing does not have the laundry facilities; however, you can ask the landlord to provide the contact of the laundry services.

Accommodation No. of

student per room

Facilities Board Cost per

month per person

IU Down-town Housing

4 Wireless Internet, Air-condition Bunk beds Private bathroom Common kitchen and laundry areas

N/A Approx. USD 100

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Home-stay 1

Wireless Internet, Air-condition Private bathroom Common kitchen and laundry areas

2 daily meals

Approx. USD 500

Accommodation No. of

student per room

Facilities Board Cost per

month per person

Serviced Room (Recommended)

1

Wireless Internet Air-condition, TV, refrigerator Desk Common or private kitchen Some will have common laundry areas

N/A

Approx. USD 230 to

300

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Down-town Guest House

1

Wireless Internet Air-condition, TV, refrigerator Sofa

N/A Approx. USD 330

Serviced Apartment

2-4

Wireless Internet Air-condition TV, refrigerator Sofa, Desk Common or private kitchen Some will have Common laundry area

N/A USD 800-

1,000

Please be noted that if you are an ISEP-Exchange student, IU will cover your accommodation and meals according to our agreement.

2. On-Campus Housing Options

On-Campus Housing’s Advantages: ˗ On-campus housing is near IU campus, it takes about 5 to 8 minutes to IU campus and

within a 5-minute walk to the bus station

˗ Utilities are included in housing charge, you neither pay any additional fees for electricity

nor water

On-Campus Housing’s Disadvantages: ˗ The rooms are few and therefore hard to get

˗ Typically, 4 students share a room and share shower, bathroom. It can be noisy

˗ Far away from the city center and IU city campus

˗ Cooking are not allowed in the room

˗ All the stores and restaurants are closed around 9:00PM

˗ The laundry facilities are not available, thus you need to use the laundry serviced outside

of the dorm. Please ask the receptionist.

˗ On-campus will be closed around 11:00 PM.

˗ You are strongly recommended to get home before 9:00 PM for your safety

˗ Shared room is not always available. If you prefer that choice, you had better have a

roommate already.

Accommodation No. of

student per room

Facilities Board Cost per

month per person

HCMC-VNU Dormitory

4

Fan Bunk bed

N/A

Approx. USD 15

Air-conditioner Bunk bed

Approx. USD 25

HCMC-VNU Guest House

2 Wireless, Air-conditioner Private bathroom

N/A

Approx. USD 130

1 Approx. USD 250

*Note: Price is updated on Mar 2015

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Cost of living Students will prepare at least USD 3,000 (or 2,386 EUR) per semester for living costs in Vietnam, including room, meals, textbooks, materials, student’s activities and personal expenses.

Buddy program We also have a buddy program offered for international students with no cost. Buddy program is a program for newly-admitted international undergraduates & incoming exchange students. We offer the Buddy Program, in which new international students will be paired up with current students (Buddy Mentors) who provide the helping hand and friendship to the international new comers at IU. Before coming to Vietnam, your buddy will contact you via email to get to know and help

you to be well-prepared, normally in middle July. During your stay and study time in Vietnam, if you have any concerns or problems, do not

hesitate to ask your buddy.

Airport pick up

IU also offers an airport pick up service for new international students. You have to complete the Airport Pick-Up Section in Registration form at least 7

working-days before your arrival You then will be picked up at Tan Son Nhat International Airport by your buddy and

transported directly to your accommodation destination. You are responsibility for purchasing the transportation fee

Web account On the First Day of the Orientation Week, you will be provided an account that gives you access to university’s e-mail, Edusoft web (including course registration, time table, exam schedule, student scores) and blackboard *Note: IU offers free wireless around campus

Orientation Program

Detailed dates will be updated one month before that semester starts.

Orientation Program

Your First Day We recommend you to arrive Ho Chi Minh City at least 1 week before the semester starts. This day is very important because we will introduce you about our university and all issues relevant to your academic matters and living in Vietnam.

Second Day There will be a trip for you to explore Ho Chi Minh City and nearby areas.

Third Day Outgoing trip- Mekong Delta Tour

Health insurance IU offers the medical insurance for all international students. International students are responsible to obtain and purchase for this medical insurance.

In case you pay for your own overseas health insurance at your home country, please make sure this insurance valid through your stay in Vietnam. IU reserves the right to ask for proof of insurance.

Where to go for your questions?

International Student Service Center (ISSC) Office of External and Public Relations 6th Floor, Room A2.604, Tel: 08 37244270 – Ext: 3617 Email: issc@hcmiu.edu.vn Morning: 9:00 am to 10:00 am; Afternoon: 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm

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Semester Information

Type of academic calendar

Three-semester system: o Semester 1 : September – January o Semester 2 : January – June o Summer semester : June – August

What are the academic calendar dates?

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS (2017-2018)

Semester 1 (19 weeks)

Start of courses 11 September, 2017

Midterm Exam 6-11 November, 2017

End of courses 30 December , 2017

Reserved week 01 - 06 January, 2018

Final Exams 08 - 20 January, 2018

Semester 2 (21 weeks)

Start of courses 22 January 2018 Midterm Exams 0207 April, 2018 End of courses 26 May 2017

Reserved week 28 May - 02 June 2018

Final Exams 04 June - 16 June 2018

GRADUATE PROGRAMS (2016-2017)

Semester 1 (18 weeks)

Start of courses 11 September, 2017 End of courses 21 January 2018 This semester period is including the examination The examination schedule is vary depends on each schools/ departments

Semester 2 (20 weeks)

Start of courses 22 January 2018 End of courses 17 June 2017 This semester period is including the examination The examination schedule is vary depends on each schools/ departments

Please note that:

- Students for all programs should arrive at least 1 week prior to class start date

- The 1st or 2nd term is depending on the courses you registered.

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Holidays/ Day-off

Semester 1: ˗ New Year ‘s day: 01 January 2017

Note: There is no day-off on Christmas Day Semester 2:

˗ Hung King’s day: 06 April 2017 ˗ Independence Day and Labor Day: 30 April to 01 May 2017

Course Information

What is the main language of instruction?

English

Course Registration/ Dropping or Withdrawing from the course

The information of course registration will be provided to exchange students prior to two months before the semester stars. Students should have the approval form their home institution before participating in any courses

One week after the classes begin, students cannot drop or withdraw the courses. The courses that students withdraw after the drop period will not count as the completed credit toward their transcript.

What is the standard full time workload?

Semester 1 (or Semester 2): 12 credits ≤ Workload per semester ≤ 24 credits Summer Semester: 6 credits ≤ Workload per semester ≤ 12 credits Note: Each credit is considered to equate to approximately 15 hours, including all forms of teaching contact.

Credit/ Grading system and Course Assessment

Credit system IU has a similar credit system to the U.S system. Every 1 IU credit equals to 1.7 ECTS credit.

Each credit represents 15 hours of theoretical lectures per semester, plus 2 hours of student preparation time at home

Normally each course is awarded 3 credits and each contact hour is presented 45 minutes spending time in the classroom.

Grading system Classification 100 – Point Grading Letter Grades 4- Point Grading

Passing

Excellent 90 <GPA <100 A+ 4.0

Very good 80 < GPA < 90 A 3.5

Good 70 < GPA < 80 B+ 3.0

Fair 60 < GPA < 70 B 2.5

Average 50 < GPA < 60 C 2.0

No passing

Weak 40 < GPA < 50 D+ 1.5

Very weak 30 < GPA < 40 D 1.0

GPA<30 F 0.0

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Course Assessment

Assignment and class participation: 20-40%

Mid-term exam: 20 - 30%

Final exam: 40 - 60%

Possibilities for students do their final project work/thesis work at the host institution? Bachelor/master thesis? (Supervisor and registration on a project course is necessary.)

Yes, for Bachelor and Master program either.